Problems Seen in Process for BP Oil Spill Fund

There are 10 comments on the
New York Times
story from Oct 2, 2010, titled Problems Seen in Process for BP Oil Spill Fund.
In it, New York Times reports that:

Kenneth R. Feinberg spent part of his summer barnstorming towns near the Gulf of Mexico, urging people who felt they had suffered financial hardship because of the oil spill to apply for a share of the $20 billion BP fund he was overseeing.

"The Feinberg team has handed nearly 100 of the most suspicious claims to private investigators for further inquiry, and has begun the process of sending those that seem the most likely to be fraudulent to the Department of Justice."http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/us/03feinbe...

WOW, this fund worked out SUPER great for British Petroleum.

Instead of having to settle an endless stream of lawsuits, they now have the US Justice Deparment looking into claims for fraud AND having the Feinberg team dismissing others outright.

If you set up a reimbursement fund like that, and don't require careful documentation to support claims, you are going to be robbed blind. Any insurance adjuster can tell you that. Trouble is, the part of the USA most affected by the oil spill is a part not known for its sophistication or numeracy. Bookkeeping is not a priority for Gulf commercial fishermen.

Legal assistance can do a great deal to improve the quality and honesty of applications. Trouble is, lawyers charge $200/hour.

Problems? Yeah, like thousands of people along the Gulf coast gettingseriously sick from the sludge and the dispersants.BP is just beginning to pay for what they have done.And they will pay. This is not Iraq.

Problems? Yeah, like thousands of people along the Gulf coast gettingseriously sick from the sludge and the dispersants.BP is just beginning to pay for what they have done.And they will pay. This is not Iraq.

Yes; BUT NOW standing between ANY who make claims AGAINST BP is the Federal Government.

Think about it! According to the article, the United States Justice Dept. is prepared to go after US Citizens who file a complaint BUT has not AND WILL NOT(ha ha) file any charges against the foreign petroleum giant.

If you set up a reimbursement fund like that, and don't require careful documentation to support claims, you are going to be robbed blind. Any insurance adjuster can tell you that. Trouble is, the part of the USA most affected by the oil spill is a part not known for its sophistication or numeracy. Bookkeeping is not a priority for Gulf commercial fishermen.Legal assistance can do a great deal to improve the quality and honesty of applications. Trouble is, lawyers charge $200/hour.

Yes, requiring documentation is necessary to prevent fraud against BP. What is REMARKABLY FORTUNATE for BP is that claims can be dismissed without them having to go to court or hire lawyers, which you noted are costly, AS the Feds are picking up that tab for them.

Gosh, I hope its not because BP is part of the GLOBALIST CROWD and has been pushing CAP N TRADE with "Progressive" dems.

From the Article:"The Feinberg team has handed nearly 100 of the most suspicious claims to private investigators for further inquiry, and has begun the process of sending those that seem the most likely to be fraudulent to the Department of Justice."http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/us/03feinbe...WOW, this fund worked out SUPER great for British Petroleum.Instead of having to settle an endless stream of lawsuits, they now have the US Justice Deparment looking into claims for fraud AND having the Feinberg team dismissing others outright.

You sound like you've got something to hide.

BP set up a $20Bn fund and this is what the claims eat into. It wouldn't cost BP a cent less if any claims are not paid or a cent more if they paid out on numerous cases of fraud.

For some reason though you apparently don't like the federal government investigating cases of people comitting crimes. You appear to hate the idea of organisations passing on details so the federal government can investigate if any crime has been comitted.

I can't help but notice from your location that you're a gulf resident. Are you by any chance one of the scumbag criminals putting in a false claim? Maybe the shrimper who's earnings for last year were 90,000 but is trying to claim over 2 million? I'd imagine the truth is somewhere in between so he'll be prosecuted for fraud and tax evasion at the same time.

<quoted text>You sound like you've got something to hide.BP set up a $20Bn fund and this is what the claims eat into. It wouldn't cost BP a cent less if any claims are not paid or a cent more if they paid out on numerous cases of fraud.For some reason though you apparently don't like the federal government investigating cases of people comitting crimes. You appear to hate the idea of organisations passing on details so the federal government can investigate if any crime has been comitted.I can't help but notice from your location that you're a gulf resident. Are you by any chance one of the scumbag criminals putting in a false claim? Maybe the shrimper who's earnings for last year were 90,000 but is trying to claim over 2 million? I'd imagine the truth is somewhere in between so he'll be prosecuted for fraud and tax evasion at the same time.

OK, you have stock in British Petroleum. I get it. Alot of Brits depend on dividends from them for much needed income sooo I understand your angst.

The fact is, that if British Petroleum had to answer every claim made against it on an individual basis the cost would be prohibited. They would be losing FAR more than the 20 Billion they set aside. So this fund is a FIREWALL for them and I wouldn't be surprised if BP executives gave the plan to Obama.

Millions of Americans have lost plenty because of this spill AND the environmental damage is substancial. Now the US Government has not even released the Safety Inspections that they supposedly made on the Deepwater Horizon Rig, so their complicity in the spill may account for this deal.

From a Rolling Stone Article about BP's initial application to drill at the leaked site.

"Nowhere was the absurdity of the policy more evident than in the application that BP submitted for its Deepwater Horizon well only two months after Obama took office. BP claims that a spill is 'unlikely' and states that it anticipates 'no adverse impacts' to endangered wildlife or fisheries. Should a spill occur, it says,'no significant adverse impacts are expected' for the region's beaches, wetlands and coastal nesting birds....

Among the sensitive species BP anticipates protecting in the semitropical Gulf?'Walruses' and other cold-water mammals, including sea otters and sea lions. The mistake appears to be the result of a sloppy cut-and-paste job from BP's drilling plans for the Arctic. Even worse: Among the 'primary equipment providers' for 'rapid deployment of spill response resources,' BP inexplicably provides the Web address of a Japanese home-shopping network.

Such glaring errors expose the 582-page response "plan" as nothing more than a paperwork exercise.'It was clear that nobody read it,' says Ruch, who represents government scientists.

I see the oil companies trying to put the lawsuits off until Mitt Romney becomes president in 2012 !

Mitt Romney was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from Jan 2,2003 to Jan 4,2007. During his one term the Buzzards Bay oil spill happened during April 2003 .

On April 27, 2003, eight years ago the Bouchard Barge B-120 hit an obstacle in Buzzards Bay, creating a 12-foot rupture in its hull and discharging an estimated 100,000 gallons of No. 6 oil. The oil is known to have affected an estimated 90 miles of shoreline, killed 450 numerous bird species, and recreational use of the bay, such as shell fishing and boating.

Since the 2003 oil spill the US Coast Guard has appealed the 2004 Massachusetts Oil Spill Prevention Act and one Massachusetts property damage lawsuit has dragged on for eight years. Republican Mitt Romney is laying the groundwork for a possible White House campaign in 2012, hiring a team of staff members and consultants.

If you set up a reimbursement fund like that, and don't require careful documentation to support claims, you are going to be robbed blind. Any insurance adjuster can tell you that. Trouble is, the part of the USA most affected by the oil spill is a part not known for its sophistication or numeracy. Bookkeeping is not a priority for Gulf commercial fishermen.Legal assistance can do a great deal to improve the quality and honesty of applications. Trouble is, lawyers charge $200/hour.

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